Can Influencers Predict the Next Big Thing in Books?

Now is a good—if, perhaps, mind-boggling—time to be a reader. Especially one with a smartphone.

Driven in no small part by social media influencers in book-focused online spaces—such as “BookTok” or “Bookstagram”—the publishing industry is in the midst of a dramatic shift. There are the financial tailwinds to consider: Book sales are in solid shape. Last year set a record for six-figure publishing deals. Barnes and Noble is staging a “comeback.” Spotify recently reported higher profit margins, boosted by interest in their audiobook offerings. Independent bookstores are “in demand.” (More than half of the indie bookstores recently surveyed by the American Booksellers Association said their sales had increased from 2023 to 2024.)

Then there’s literature’s widening grip on popular culture itself: Celebrities aren’t merely fashion or beauty or beverage moguls anymore. They’re bookfluencers, too. (As The Cut asked last year, “Why Does Every Famous Woman Have a Book Club Now?”) Fashion designers are hosting free book pop-ups and presenting their collections at bookstores. Literary events aren’t the boilerplate marketing ventures of yore; with photo-collage stations, branded Baggu merch, flash tattoos and Botox, they’re en vogue. The book-to-screen pipeline is booming.

Even if you aren’t actually reading, you want to seem like the kind of person who might.

As The New York Times recently reported, “Over the past several years, TikTok has dramatically reshaped nearly every aspect of the book business.” That’s specifically thanks to TikTok users, whose viral content can bump a book several rungs up the bestseller ladder. And long before BookTok exploded into the mainstream, Bookstagram and BookTube (YouTube’s books community) joined global readers in online literary communion: sharing library “hauls”; offering line-by-line criticism; and advocating for literature’s necessity in the political sphere (and vice versa).

At the start of every year, publishers, editors, agents, and authors are (rightfully) asked for their insight into the road ahead. Which books will be most popular? What hurdles will publishing encounter? With this article, we wanted to do something different: Ask the readers.

The 21 influencers (or “creators,” as some prefer to be called) interviewed for this story are nothing if not readers. Some boast hundreds of thousands of followers; others operate in smaller, more intimate communities. Some work in the publishing industry itself; others have jobs in marketing, medicine, hospitality, and beyond. Although their interests, expertises, and platforms are disparate, they’re united by their love of books. And as they contend with the volatility of their platforms, many are reassessing their futures—and the future of publishing altogether.

Here’s what they believe is in store for their fellow influencers, their attentive readers, and curious publishers in 2025.

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Clockwise from left: Chinelo Ikem, Sara Hildreth, Brittany Pham, and Zoranne Host.

Prediction No. 1: Influencer Dominance

Influencers’ impact will be impossible to ignore in 2025.

Once upon a time, a glowing review in The New York Times or a segment on NPR’s Fresh Air might have proved a book’s golden ticket. Today, publishers don’t necessarily covet such accolades any less, but their attentions are increasingly pulled in the direction of social media, where virality—accomplished through readers’ genuine enthusiasm—can reap even grander rewards.

All of the sources interviewed for this story agreed that the influence of bookish social media will only continue to grow in the coming months, regardless of what happens to specific platforms such as TikTok. (More on that later.) Similarly, they believe that more and more publishers will invest time and resources in influencer and creator campaigns they might have previously spurned.

Ahead, the influencers explain, in their own words:

“[Publishers] are throwing more money at influencers. A lot of that has to do with the fact that it has become clear the way [influencers] are engaging with literature is changing the way readers engage with literature.” —Michael LaBorn, @michael.laborn, tastemaker for Left Unread Books, an imprint of Bindery Books

“I can attribute pretty much my entire life path to being on Bookstagram when I was 14 or 15…I was there in 2016 when Bookstagram was the reason books were taking off and bringing in money for publishers…I’ve always been someone who wants to prioritize creators and influencers because I’m like, ‘You guys have your hands in the pot.’” —Giselle Gonzalez, @hopelessbooklover_, book publicist for Tor Publishing Group

“The best kind of marketing is word of mouth, which is [what] influencers [do]. If they tell you to read something, you’re going to read it. I don’t think that publishers are at the point yet where they’re truly understanding that.” —Sera Wright, @serareadthat

“I really foresee [bookfluencers’ platforms] continuing to grow, because…a lot of people are starting to realize they’re allowed to read for fun again, [for the first time] since they were kids. Publishers are directly listening to [those] readers in a way I haven’t seen in the past.” —Eden Yonas, @edensarchives

“[Social media] brings the publishing industry and the readers so much closer together. We’re able, as readers, to tell the publishing industry exactly what we want to see and what we like and what we don’t like, and the publishing industry can take that information and create the things we think readers want to see. That conversation has never been possible on this scale before.” —Megan Tripp, @booksnblazers, social media director at Penguin Random House

“Book influencers have become not so much outside of the publishing industry, but inside of it…Publishers are literally going to be looking at what content creators are doing to know which books to push.” —Chinelo Ikem, @interestedinblackbooks

Still, influencers understand the forces they’re up against: antiquated views about the “fun app for teens”; algorithmic signals over which they have no control; general internet fatigue; and their lack of easily identifiable credentials. Even within their own ranks, there’s debate over individual influencers’ publishing expertise. But what they can do for a book is undeniable, if difficult to quantify.

“Influencers do influence. It’s hard to concretely measure [their impact] a lot of the time, and I think that’s why people tend to have less than favorable thoughts about [influencers]—or don’t really want to put a lot of resources behind them. That’s been a pinnacle of my career: focusing on proving [their impact] to the publishing industry.” —Megan Tripp, @booksnblazers, social media director at Penguin Random House

“Book influencers are talking to and hearing from other readers, which is ironically the group that’s been left out of literary taste-making for so long. I think there’s plenty of room for traditional literary criticism alongside the types of more personal reviews that book influencers provide.” —Sara Hildreth, @fictionmatters, writer of the FictionMatters Substack and co-host of the Novel Pairings podcast

“When I did eventually leave [my job in] publishing, I came to this realization that everything I was doing with my [YouTube] channel was far more impactful than anything I was going to be able to achieve as a single employee in a single publisher.” —Jananie K. Velu, @thisstoryaintover, tastemaker for Boundless Press, an imprint of Bindery Books

“When the work that you do threatens the ecosystem [of traditional media], it’s really hard. A lot of those channels are how publishers and other industries recognize that you’re a real person—worthy of their attention, worthy of their time. That [difficulty] is amplified by wanting to read books by authors of color. That’s amplified by me being a Black woman. It gets exponentially harder to do a lot of the work because of the ways things are gate-kept. I think publishers do understand [influencers’ impact]. But I think they want us to think they don’t, so that they don’t have to compensate us and treat us in a way that they would if they publicly valued us.” —Traci Thomas, @thestackspod, creator and host of The Stacks podcast and writer of the Unstacked Substack

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Clockwise from left: Naomi Darling, Traci Thomas, Seth Betzler, and Megan Tripp.

Prediction No. 2: Diversifying Platforms

Nothing will replace BookTok. But publishing will look to diversify which social platforms it invests in as influencers and readers do the same.

Earlier this month, BookTok vanished. Temporarily. Had it lasted, the rapture might have concluded a months-long debacle: TikTok’s parent company, the Chinese-owned ByteDance, was directed to sell the app to a non-Chinese owner by January 19 or face a ban in the U.S. After ByteDance failed to meet the deadline, TikTok went briefly dark for Americans—a period during which the app presented users with a pop-up screen indicating the incoming president would work with the company behind the scenes.

Hours later, TikTok was back online—and, with it, the BookTok influencers undergoing extreme emotional whiplash. After his inauguration on Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that gave TikTok 75 days to seek a new solution. But while the app remains operational in the U.S. for the time being, many of its users—both those dwelling inside the U.S. and those outside of it—are unsettled. If TikTok can disappear that quickly, what’s to stop it from happening again? Even if TikTok does survive, what form will it take in the future? Will its algorithm remain the same? And is it not concerning to watch tech companies bow to a presidential administration?

With these questions in mind, book influencers—both those prominent on TikTok and those who have largely ignored the app—are reassessing the path forward. No one knows what’s next for any platform. But they can agree on the smartest next move: Diversify your reach. Start a YouTube channel (if you haven’t already). Invest in Instagram Reels. Launch a Substack newsletter. TikTok will likely remain overwhelmingly popular, but it isn’t enough to depend on the app anymore. Get your audiences to follow you, regardless of the platform you’re broadcasting from.

“I don’t think anything will replace BookTok—the algorithm and the community are unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced on the internet. But social media is inherently mercurial, and something new and totally unique will rise up at some point and dominate.” —Steph Pilavin, @starrysteph, tastemaker for Celestial, an imprint of Bindery Books

“I’m already on a few different platforms, but nothing captures the informal nature that TikTok does…[If TikTok ultimately disappears], I hope we do find a home somewhere, whether it’s YouTube Shorts or somehow—unlikely—revitalizing Instagram Reels.” —Azanta Thakur, @azantareads

“I believe many content creators will go to YouTube to continue to create short-form content and longer-form videos. Those that may be tired of social media will head over to create Substack newsletters and content in community with other readers. I believe RedNote is a flash in the pan and won’t be a long-term trend.” —Carmen Alvarez, @tomesandtextiles

“I think new energy and style will be on Bookstagram, and that is wonderful.” —Cree Myles, @creemyles, writer and curator for Penguin Random House’s All Ways Black who has previously written for ELLE.com

“Meta’s alt-right move and data privacy issues have made people pretty weary of Instagram. I think people are also intimidated by YouTube’s structure and the amount of effort needed to produce videos on there, in comparison to TikTok. Taking all of this into consideration, I am really interested in seeing what individual endeavors bookish creators will take on. I, personally, decided to reach out to my friend Emma Berry about starting an online bookish magazine to serve as a place for readers to have the same conversations they would have on these other platforms.” —Sera Wright, @serareadthat

Some believe, thanks to the sheer number of platforms available—and users’ increasing desire for more intimate interactions—that follower counts might become a less important metric for publishers to assess in 2025. The better gauge of an individual creator’s power? The strength of their community, online or in-person.

“I’ve always been selling books, no matter what my platform size was. And I think that a lot of people, including publishers, don’t always realize that.” —Naomi Darling, @fromthemixedupdesk, tastemaker for Boozhoo Books, an imprint of Bindery Books

“You don’t have to have 55,000 followers to ask for books and promote them. The way that platforms have changed, their algorithms have made [follower count] not matter as much. You can have a smaller following, and your stuff still gets out there.” —John Caleb Grenn, @jcgrenn_reads

“The metric for success I’ve always used is community-building. Having a bazillion views on a video is great. But what I really like is when the comment section is thriving.” —Megan Tripp, @booksnblazers, social media director at Penguin Random House

“Because reading can be such a solitary experience, there’s this need to talk about it, which is why book clubs exist. And because so much book media, especially mainstream book media, is failing—not necessarily because of the people who are making it, but because of the way their institutions are crumbling—there really are not a lot of outlets for good, meaningful conversation around books…One of the things that online spaces do is enable people to create a community in which to talk about art that excites them and interests them, which is such a human desire.” —Traci Thomas, @thestackspod, creator and host of The Stacks podcast and writer of the Unstacked Substack

“With the current political landscape, readers are increasingly drawn to book clubs that prioritize meaningful conversations, representation, and personal connection rather than simply selecting popular titles. There’s ample opportunity for smaller, mission-driven literary spaces to grow and have a lasting cultural impact.” —Glory Edim, @wellreadblackgirl, writer and creator of the Well-Read Black Girl literary community

“I think these online platforms are fantastic for finding your group. And then from there, if you’re in Chicago or maybe even, like, a small town in Indiana, can you guys get together and do something? I think that’s where things will definitely take off in 2025—because then it’s no longer just about the book.” —Morgan Menzies, @prettylittlebookshelf, host of Pretty Little Bookshelf book club

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Clockwise from left: Cree Myles, Michael LaBorn, Glory Edim, and John Caleb Grenn.

Prediction No. 3: Genre Remixes

Expect the continued rise of new-adult and genre fiction—especially romance—and the resurgence of dystopian and horror.

As with fashion, trends in literature are often cyclical, borne on the tide of a wider national mood. But as celebrities are to skinny jeans and “It bags,” bookish creators are to dark academia and sprayed edges, themselves spurring popularity for specific genres, styles, tropes, and themes in books. (Just look at the largely social-driven rise of romantasy and smut.) Here’s what they predict will take off next:

“I most definitely think we’re in a rom-com renaissance—a rom-com-aissance, if you will—and I think that’s only going to continue in 2025.” —Seth Betzler, @dramakingbooks

“I have a feeling that dystopia is going to have a little resurgence. Am I excited about that? I don’t know. Do I think it’s going to be done well? I’m also unsure.” —Jananie K. Velu, @thisstoryaintover, tastemaker for Boundless Press, an imprint of Bindery Books

“Because creators are so overwhelmingly focused on genre fiction at the moment, that’s what the focus for publishers has been.” —Giselle Gonzalez, @hopelessbooklover_, book publicist for Tor Publishing Group

“There’s going to be a lot of pregnancy horror, women’s body horror, all sorts of queer horror. When things crumble and people are afraid, reclaiming topics through horror always sees a huge surge.” —Steph Pilavin, @starrysteph, tastemaker for Celestial, an imprint of Bindery Books

“I attended YALLFest [a book festival for young-adult literature] and, in general, my conversations were all leaning adult—in that a lot of YA authors were leaving YA to publish adult fiction, because that’s what publishing was looking for. It’s romance that’s driving it. It’s smut; it’s intimacy.” —Azanta Thakur, @azantareads

“We’ve definitely seen an increase of classic fantasy coming back: classic tropes from the early 2000s and ’90s. I definitely noticed dystopian is making its comeback, which makes sense because, in 2024 and a little bit in 2023, we had a resurgence of vampires and paranormal books.” —Zoranne Host, @zoranne_, tastemaker for Fantasy & Frens, an imprint of Bindery Books

“I think there will be a rise of books that challenge a reader’s attention span. I think there are going to be authors who write books like [Katie Kitamura’s] Audition that are like, ‘You better put your phone down and read every word on this page, or you’re not going to have a clue what’s happening in my book.’ I like that. I hope we see more of that.” —Sara Hildreth, @fictionmatters, writer of the FictionMatters Substack and co-host of the Novel Pairings podcast

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Clockwise from left: Steph Pilavin, Azanta Thakur, Giselle Gonzalez, and Morgan Menzies.

Prediction No. 4: A New Normal

Publishing will adapt to the current climate in politics and tech—for better or worse.

With a new presidential administration in office, creators are bracing for the impact of a “red wave.” How exactly that might manifest in the books world remains a major question—and certainly not all bookfluencers found the election results disappointing. But regardless of their personal politics, readers understand publishers are paying close attention to those politics.

In the wake of Trump’s election in November, Hachette Book Group launched a new conservative-focused imprint called Basic Liberty, to be led by editor and The Heritage Foundation advisor Thomas Spence. (The move prompted outcries on social and protests from Hachette employees.) And though major publishing houses have maintained such conservative imprints for years, many creators fear that books intended to stir conspiracy and controversy might become all the more commonplace. Still others have expressed concerns that people from marginalized backgrounds—already enormously underrepresented in publishing—will have an even more difficult time getting their books on shelves.

“I think publishers are all kind of regrouping right now and looking to see how they’re going to capitalize on the next four years.” —Carmen Alvarez, @tomesandtextiles

“With this red wave, are [publishers] going to continue to seek out diverse voices? Indigenous media, in general, is sort of having a renaissance, a boom. Is that going to last?” —Naomi Darling, @fromthemixedupdesk, tastemaker for Boozhoo Books, an imprint of Bindery Books

“Right now, unfortunately, the best-selling books on The New York Times [bestseller] list are still very white, and I think that will continue to stay the same. There’s definitely been a trend away from diversifying your reading, because people are so sick and tired of hearing ‘PC’ stuff. I think, unfortunately, we’re going to continue going in that direction.” —Azanta Thakur, @azantareads

With those worries in mind, many influencers are thinking deeply about how their platforms can be utilized for action and advocacy in 2025.

“BookTok has become a lot more advocacy-focused than it used to be. There are conversations happening about how to actually measure change in the industry. I don’t think those conversations were happening two years ago…I think that BookTok is the most powerful bookselling platform in the world. If it were to [consistently] champion marginalized people, we would bring change to the industry with shocking speed.” —Michael LaBorn, @michael.laborn, tastemaker for Left Unread Books, an imprint of Bindery Books

“[Bookish influencer content] brings more transparency around the industry to readers—and vice versa. Readers can demand more transparency from the industry, and the industry has to respond and do something about it.” —Megan Tripp, @booksnblazers, social media director at Penguin Random House

“There’s been a huge push in holding publishers accountable. People have realized that they can gather this community and act as a force, instead of in response. I’ve been seeing book content creators take charge more, look to where they can mobilize on- and offline, and really inspire.” —Steph Pilavin, @starrysteph, tastemaker for Celestial, an imprint of Bindery Books

Of course, the new presidential administration isn’t the only shift underway. With so much volatility and change in the tech sector, social users are increasingly wary of how quickly they can be stripped of their platforms, and how much they stand to lose in the process. Should apps such as TikTok change their algorithm (or, even worse, evaporate altogether), influencers fear that fewer books—especially those without significant marketing budgets at major publishing houses—will garner the attention they deserve.

“[Should apps ultimately disappear,] what I worry about is that authors from marginalized groups will have less ‘discoverability,’ because we know publishing already doesn’t prioritize their books, and many authors from those communities cite social media as a way they were able to break through. I worry for those authors.” —Traci Thomas, @thestackspod, creator and host of The Stacks podcast and writer of the Unstacked Substack

“I think creators are going to be a little bit more cautious now of the fact that it’s so easy to lose your platform, which for a lot of us is our livelihood. Especially me, I am a disabled creator, and this is how I make most of my income. So I know I’m definitely going to be moving forward with an awareness of how easily that can be lost.” —Cait Jacobs, @caitsbooks, author of Medievally Blonde, soon to be published with Harper Voyager

Book influencer and author Cait Jacobs.

Nor are the apps themselves the only threat, as artificial intelligence grows increasingly powerful—and prominent. After Trump recently signed an executive order revoking government policies he claims “[hinder] AI innovation and impose onerous and unnecessary government control over the development of AI,” the next four years look to reinforce AI’s dramatic growth. Influencers have little doubt the dismissal of such “guardrails” will impact publishing’s own approach to AI.

“We made a blueprint of destruction, and we’re following it. I see that seeping more into the book world.” —Sera Wright, @serareadthat

“With AI getting more and more explosive, how are [authors] going to [compete]? Do you just get fed up and say, ‘Ah, I’m kind of done?’” —John Caleb Grenn, @jcgrenn_reads

“I think publishing is reaching toward AI as an option to write more stories or market more books, to really cheat at the game, and I think unfortunately that will continue [in 2025].”—Azanta Thakur, @azantareads

Even if their favorite authors and editors aren’t altogether replaced with AI, influencers have noticed a troubling harbinger anyway: a trend in expedited production schedules to feed reader demand.

“I think a lot of publishers are pushing authors to write faster, write more, edit faster, get things out faster, so readers aren’t waiting. It creates a binge effect, like Netflix…The authors who can do that and do it well, I’m in awe of. But I do think that [pressure] becomes a disservice to the books we get sometimes.” —Seth Betzler, @dramakingbooks

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Clockwise from left: Eden Yonas, Jananie K. Velu, Sera Wright, and Carmen Alvarez.

Prediction No. 5: Rise of the Indies

BookTok has made it easier for independent authors to get their books in the hands of readers. Even with TikTok’s instability, the indie intrigue will continue.

To confront their disillusionment with traditional publishing, some authors and creators are looking toward small or independent publishing to inject fresh air into a stifled books scene. One prominent example? The recent launch of Bindery Books, a publisher working directly with influencers (a sample of which were interviewed for this article) to select and publish books that might otherwise have gone overlooked. Content creators who partner with Bindery are known as “tastemakers,” and they’re supplied with the tools to launch and run their own imprints, the sales from which they reap a percentage of returns. Influencers—including those not currently working with Bindery—see the company as an indicator that alternative publishing routes are growing in prominence.

“People are getting frustrated with traditional publishing in a lot of ways and how they’re not supporting their authors…I’ve definitely seen a shift across my book platforms where people want to uplift independent authors, find them, and help them go viral.” —Steph Pilavin, @starrysteph, tastemaker for Celestial, an imprint of Bindery Books

“There’s been a big trend toward self-publishing and indie books, which is great. I never used to read indie books before BookTok really kept pushing those stories naturally to the top of my For You Page.” —Azanta Thakur, @azantareads

“I don’t think there’s a way that indie is going to head back into the closet. I think the indie space is going to get stronger and stronger, and I think that readers as a whole are getting on board with the idea that [indie publishing] can be done well.” —Michael LaBorn, @michael.laborn, tastemaker for Left Unread Books, an imprint of Bindery Books

At the same time, traditional publishing employees are working hard to adapt to the erratic pace of the internet, in some cases scooping up self-published books and re-publishing them under their house’s banner.

“Indie authors are now able to get a lot of attention, a lot of new readers, because of just one video going viral. A lot of indie authors are getting publishing deals because of that, while other indie authors who don’t go the trad pub [route] are just getting readership they wouldn’t otherwise have.” —Cait Jacobs, @caitsbooks, author of Medievally Blonde, soon to be published with Harper Voyager

“Self-publishing is an amazing feat, and some amazing books are self-published. But then when the book gets picked up [by a traditional publisher], the audience and the reach is so much wider. I definitely have noticed a trend with that amongst romantasy books.” —Zoranne Host, @zoranne_, tastemaker for Fantasy & Frens, an imprint of Bindery Books

“From my personal experience, [traditional publishers] are trying always to adapt to the environment around us, and I think will continue to make strides. I think we expect publishers to adapt as fast as readers, and that’s just not the case. The goal is always to listen to readers, to hear what they’re saying, and implement those changes as quickly as possible.” —Giselle Gonzalez, @hopelessbooklover_, book publicist for Tor Publishing Group

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Prediction No. 6: On Course for Crossover

Bookish communities will increasingly experiment in content outside their niche. Publishers and advertisers will pay heed.

Movie stars know the value of cross-sector promotion. Why settle for life as an actor when you can also grow your own beauty company or hawk your own whiskey? Similarly, influencers are eager to break out of the one-lane formula—and widen their audiences.

They aren’t planning to stop posting about books. But they also want to share their makeup dupes, tag their favorite denim brands in the comments, promote upcoming movies, and, ideally, get paid for it. A number of creators are already seeing success doing just that. Others want publishers to treat them more like beauty and fashion influencers: brought closer into the fold, selected for focus groups, brand trips, and ad campaigns.

“There are so many ways that other companies are trying to tap into [bookish communities like] BookTok. In the same way that brand trips and things like that happen for beauty creators and skin care creators, they’re starting to happen for creators in the books space.” —Eden Yonas, @edensarchives

“The Shelves and the City event that HarperCollins put on [in 2024] was literally an event for content creators to celebrate content creators. They flew us out to New York City, they got our hotel, they got us a luxury tour bus around the city, took us out to dinner, took us out for drinks, took us to a bookstore tour, and it felt genuinely like we were being appreciated in that moment.” —Sera Wright, @serareadthat

“We may see some creators expanding. They were doing books, but maybe now they’re also showing you their skin care routine and where they get their hair done.” —Morgan Menzies, @prettylittlebookshelf, host of Pretty Little Bookshelf book club

“I feel like ads [and partnerships] directly from publishers are the hardest to come by. But what I do a lot are ads that are book-adjacent. One of my first partnerships was with the paint company Sherwin Williams. I pitched to them this five-tier bookshelf, and I took five of my favorite books in different genres and I color-matched each one, and then painted the shelves that color [in Sherwin Williams paint]. Stuff like that is a bit more sustainable, just because those brands have more of a budget.” —Steph Pilavin, @starrysteph, tastemaker for Celestial, an imprint of Bindery Books

But a dependence on brand-friendly aesthetics—particularly, aesthetics that social algorithms favor—brings up its own concerns.

“I notice, sometimes, the people whose content gets really pushed forward are young women who look beautiful, because who doesn’t want to see hot women on the internet? I don’t think that someone’s content or book review should be popular just because they’re beautiful, but that does happen a lot.” —Chinelo Ikem, @interestedinblackbooks

“Some of the more polished people [online] have a very cohesive image that you can see as aspirational, not necessarily realistic. Those people tend to have the most followers, too.” —Brittany Pham, @scienceowlreads

“It’s a little harder to get off the ground if you’re not as comfortable being the face of a personal brand.” —Megan Tripp, @booksnblazers, social media director at Penguin Random House

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One final prediction: Reading, now and always, will matter. Representation in reading will matter. The influencers interviewed for this story made myriad mention of books’ necessity to a healthy democracy, particularly as book bans threaten the liberties of would-be readers.

“It’s always worth investing in books,” says Cree Myles. “Despite the bad and ugly I’ve seen and learned about publishing, at the end of the day, I believe in books. And I truly believe in book people.”

Ahead, here’s what a handful of those book people recommend you read next.